How to hire a choir for your wedding
A professional choir does something quite remarkable at a wedding: it gives your guests permission to sing. Most people, even those who love a good hymn, feel self-conscious about singing in public. But when four or eight trained voices lead from the front — confident, warm, and beautifully in tune — something shifts. The congregation joins in. The sound swells. And the ceremony stops being something your guests merely watch and becomes something they are part of.
What does a wedding choir actually do?
When couples first get in touch with us, they often picture a choir standing at the front of a church performing set pieces — and that is certainly part of it. But the most important job a wedding choir does is far more practical: leading the singing.
Think about it from your guests’ perspective. They arrive at a beautiful church or ceremony venue, perhaps a little nervous, possibly unfamiliar with the hymns you’ve chosen. An organ starts playing. A few brave souls open their mouths. The sound is thin, hesitant, and dies somewhere around the second verse. It’s a common scene — and it’s entirely avoidable.
Professional singers change the dynamic completely. They carry the melody with clarity and confidence, giving everyone around them a musical anchor. Your guests hear a strong, beautiful sound and instinctively match it. Even people who insist they “can’t sing” find themselves joining in. The result is the full, joyful noise that most couples imagine when they choose their wedding hymns.
Beyond hymn-leading, a wedding choir provides music at all the key moments of your ceremony:
- Before the ceremony — gentle choral music as guests take their seats, setting a tone of calm beauty and anticipation.
- The processional — whether you walk down the aisle to an organ voluntary or a sung piece, the choir can provide an unforgettable entrance.
- During the signing of the register — this is where the choir truly shines with solo and ensemble pieces, filling what would otherwise be an awkward pause with some of the most beautiful music of the day.
- The recessional — a triumphant hymn or choral piece as you walk out as a married couple.
For a fuller picture of how music fits into the ceremony, our guide to wedding ceremony music walks through each moment in detail.
Choosing the right size
One of the first decisions you’ll make is how many singers you need. There is no single right answer — it depends on your venue, the style of ceremony you want, and your budget. We work with a handpicked team of professional singers and instrumentalists, so we can tailor the ensemble to suit your day perfectly. Here are the most common options.
Solo singer — from £215
A single professional voice is a wonderful choice for smaller, more intimate weddings — registry offices, boutique hotel ceremonies, or tiny country churches where a large ensemble would overwhelm the space. A soloist can perform during the signing of the register, sing you down the aisle, or provide gentle background music as guests arrive. While a soloist won’t lead congregational hymns in the way a choir does, they bring a focused, personal quality that suits certain weddings beautifully.
Small choir of four — from £1,150
This is our most popular option for weddings, and for good reason. A quartet of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass gives you full four-part harmony — the complete choral sound — in a compact format. Four excellent singers can lead a congregation of up to about 150 guests with confidence, and the quality of the part-singing during the register is genuinely beautiful. For most parish churches, country houses, and college chapels, a quartet is the ideal balance of musical impact and value.
Full choir of eight — from £2,000
Doubling up to two voices per part creates a noticeably richer, more resonant sound. An octet fills larger churches with ease, handles more complex choral repertoire (eight-part motets, for instance), and provides that unmistakable “choral” quality that many couples dream of. If your venue is a large town church, a cathedral, or any space with a generous acoustic, eight voices will make the most of it.
Twelve-voice chorus — from £3,000
For cathedral-scale weddings or ceremonies where you want music to be a centrepiece of the day, a twelve-voice chorus delivers something truly magnificent. The additional voices allow for the widest range of repertoire, the most powerful hymn-leading, and a depth of sound that your guests will remember for years. This option is particularly striking in large, reverberant buildings where the sound can bloom and fill the space.
Not sure which size is right for you? Our pricing page gives a full breakdown of costs, and we’re always happy to advise once we know your venue and guest numbers. For a broader look at what wedding music costs, see our guide to wedding music pricing.
Church weddings and civil ceremonies
The type of ceremony you’re having shapes the music in important ways, so it’s worth understanding the differences early on.
Church of England weddings typically include two or three congregational hymns, and this is where a choir earns its keep most obviously. The vicar or rector will usually be happy for you to choose your hymns freely, and a professional choir ensures they sound wonderful regardless of how confident your guests are. Between the hymns, the choir can perform sacred choral pieces — anthems, motets, and solos — that draw on centuries of glorious church music.
Catholic weddings follow a similar pattern but often include additional musical moments during the liturgy. If your ceremony includes a nuptial mass, there are more opportunities for choral music, and a choir familiar with the Catholic rite will know exactly where each piece fits.
Civil ceremonies are governed by different rules. In a licensed venue, you cannot include any religious content — no hymns, no prayers, no readings from scripture. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a choir. Far from it. A professional vocal ensemble can perform secular choral music, classical art songs, carefully chosen arrangements of popular songs, and much more. The effect is every bit as beautiful; it simply draws on a different repertoire. We regularly provide choirs for civil ceremonies in stately homes, hotels, and licensed venues across the country.
Outdoor weddings present their own considerations. Without walls and a ceiling to contain and reflect the sound, you need confident, well-projected voices. Amplification is sometimes helpful for a soloist outdoors, but a quartet or larger ensemble generally carries well in the open air without any need for microphones. We’ll always advise on what will work best for your particular setting.
What a wedding choir sings
Choosing the music is one of the most enjoyable parts of planning your ceremony, and it’s where a professional choir opens up possibilities you might not have considered.
Hymns are the backbone of most church weddings. The right hymns, well sung, create some of the most uplifting moments of the day. If you’re still deciding, our guide to choosing wedding hymns is full of practical suggestions. Popular choices include Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, and Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer — hymns with strong, singable melodies that even occasional churchgoers will recognise.
Choral pieces during the signing of the register are where the choir performs without the congregation. This is your chance to hear something exquisite. Some of the most requested pieces include:
- Ave Maria (Schubert or Bach/Gounod) — perhaps the most famous wedding solo of all, equally stunning as a choral arrangement.
- Panis Angelicus (Franck) — a serene, flowing melody that suits the reflective mood of the register signing perfectly.
- Ubi Caritas (Durüflé) — a gentle, luminous setting of the text “Where charity and love are, God is there.”
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach) — instantly recognisable, elegant, and timeless.
- Pie Jesu (Fauré or Lloyd Webber) — a beautiful soprano solo that works wonderfully in any church acoustic.
These are just starting points. The choral repertoire for weddings is vast, spanning everything from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary compositions. If you’ve heard something you love — at a concert, in a film, at someone else’s wedding — there’s a good chance we can perform it or arrange it for your ensemble.
Bespoke arrangements are something we offer for couples who want a particular song performed by voices. A favourite pop song, a piece of film music, a jazz standard — our arrangers can create a tasteful choral version that works beautifully in a ceremony setting. It’s a lovely way to include music that is personal and meaningful to you both.
To hear examples of the kind of music our singers perform, visit our listening page.
How to book and what to expect
Booking a choir for your wedding is simpler than most couples expect. Here’s how the process typically works with us.
Get in touch early. We recommend making contact three to six months before your wedding date, though we can sometimes accommodate shorter timescales. Summer Saturdays book up fastest, so if your wedding falls between May and September, earlier is better. All you need to get started is your date, venue, and a rough idea of what you’re looking for — we’ll guide you from there.
Tell us about your ceremony. Once we know the basics, we’ll ask a few questions: How many guests are you expecting? Is it a church service or a civil ceremony? Have you chosen any hymns or pieces yet? Do you have an organist, or would you like us to provide one? This helps us recommend the right ensemble size and suggest repertoire that suits your venue and style.
We’ll send you a clear proposal. You’ll receive a written quote with a full breakdown of costs — no hidden fees, no surprises. The quote will include the ensemble, repertoire, travel, and any additional elements such as an organist or instrumentalists. We’re always transparent about what wedding music costs.
Refining the music. In the weeks before the wedding, we’ll finalise the running order and repertoire with you. If you’d like help choosing hymns, we’ll suggest options. If you want a bespoke arrangement, we’ll get that prepared. We liaise with your venue, your vicar or registrar, and your wedding planner if you have one, so that everyone is on the same page.
On the day. Our singers arrive in good time to warm up and familiarise themselves with the acoustic. They dress formally and discreetly — they’re there to enhance your ceremony, not to draw attention to themselves. From the moment the first guest walks in to the moment you leave as a married couple, the music unfolds seamlessly. You won’t need to think about it; you’ll simply hear it and feel the difference it makes.
For more detail on how we work and what we offer, see our services page.
Talk to us about your wedding
Every wedding is different, and we love helping couples find the music that makes their ceremony feel exactly right. Whether you know precisely what you want or haven’t the faintest idea where to start, we’re here to help. Tell us your date, your venue, and anything else you’d like us to know, and we’ll come back to you with a personal recommendation and a clear, honest quote.